The Casualties Of War
by Zivandre
Summary: Draco Malfoy's snippet of the Battle of Hogwarts!


_**This is written for the QLFC!**_

 _ **Round 13!**_

 _ **Kenmare Kestrels-Seeker!**_

 _ **Prompt: Chessboard: Write about an event taking place on a battlefield.**_

 _ **Thank you to Miss Skinny Love, for beta'ing this in such short time! Thank you for making sure this is readable!**_

 _ **[WC: 1324]**_

 _ **This is slightly deviated from canon, with one part being that Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle do not intercept the trio in the Room of Requirement! Enjoy!**_

 _ **..**_

The sharp, cold spring night was rough. Draco Malfoy inhaled sharply through his nose, instantly regretting his body's natural way of surviving. The sharp metallic tinge of blood filled his senses. He could taste the rough, heavy liquid on his tongue.

He thought he must be bleeding from somewhere. He didn't want to think it was someone else's. He sprinted towards the castle, away from the flying rubble and debris that the giants were slinging. He had already seen too many bodies getting crushed by large bits of the castle; he did not want to be one of them.

He saw many of the younger students battling grown witches and wizards. Why must the war be this way? Why do teenagers and children have to be involved?

Draco ran into the nearest alcove, begging for a silent moment of peace to gain his bearings. He grabbed the hem of his robes and wiped the sweat and blood off of his brow. He was tired of the smell of blood - he had already seen so much bloodshed.

He needed to make it out of this alive; he needed to find Harry. He needed to find Hermione. If the light side had any preconceived notions of winning, they had to keep that blasted trio alive.

Gathering a large breath of the stale dusty air, Draco stepped back into the hall. He instantly saw Hermione, Harry, and Ron rushing out into the open air. Following them quickly, he had to constantly duck to miss the cross-firing of spells coming from every which way.

At first, he thought that they were headed towards the forest, but when they took a sharp turn towards the Whomping Willow, he ignored the prevailing questions he wanted to shout at them.

He silently watched from the shadows as Hermione levitated a large stick to the base of the violent tree, causing the large, swinging branches to halt in their place. The trio slid under a root that was jutting out, disappearing into the darkness. Running over, he quickly found the opening, and followed after.

The small passageway was lined with dirt - an old beaten-down path the only thing marking his way. He crouched low, trying to avoid as much dirt as he could. Draco saw a door at the end of the tunnel. The lighting was dim but he could make out what looked to be an old house.

Slipping quietly through the door, he saw no sign of his former classmates. Crouching low with his wand unsheathed, he walked quietly along the broken floorboards. He soon heard voices ahead - Voldemort and Severus. He silently cast a disillusionment charm on himself, and crept as close as he dared.

He heard them talking about the Elder Wand, as Severus pleaded for his life. He cursed as he heard Severus' shocked gasp from the bite of Nagini.

Waiting until he knew Voldemort was gone, he started to run towards his godfather. Except the trio were already there, kneeling by his side.

Ignoring them, he crept closer until he was on Severus' free side. Ron was the first to notice him, but before he could object Draco spoke up.

"This is my godfather, please, let me stay with him. I'm on your side. I don't want to follow that madman," pleaded Draco.

He offered his wand to Harry, before grasping the cold hand of Severus. He said his goodbyes, before Severus told Harry to take his tears. He watched silently as he commanded Harry to look at him one last time, and then, he was gone.

Draco let one lone tear fall down his cheeks before standing.

"What do you have to do to kill that fucker?" asked Draco, as he accepted his wand back from Harry.

"I need you to take down as many Death Eaters as you can, Draco. We're still working on the larger plan, but for now, just do your part," said Harry before slipping away. Hermione and Ron followed after, leaving Draco alone with the cold, dead body of Severus.

"I'll come back for you, I swear," promised Draco.

He walked back through the tunnel, before slipping back onto the battlefield. He knew he didn't have any skills on taking down Giants, so he continued on into the castle. He doubted that any fighting was going on in the dungeons, so he kept to the ground floor.

He saw a small boy, with a camera around his neck, trying and failing to curse Travers. Rushing forward, Draco pushed the small boy into the closest classroom before turning towards his opponent. It didn't take long for Travers to be dead on the ground, blood gushing from his gut.

Before he sought out anyone else that was in need, he turned towards where the small boy was. He stepped over broken chessboards and chess pieces - he was in the Wizard's Chess Clubs' classroom. Draco saw the small shivering form of the boy against the back wall. Walking over to him, he offered a few words of comfort, before asking where they were keeping the injured.

Learning it was in the Great Hall, Draco sheltered the boy - Colin Creevey - until he was safely under the care of Madam Pomphrey.

Voldemort soon called a halt to the battle, letting them collect their injured and dead. Not wanting to do nothing, Draco helped.

When he could no longer find any injured, he went to wait on the steps. He knew no one in the Great Hall would need him now. Draco watched from afar as Harry said his goodbyes to Hermione and Ron.

Before long though, the battle commenced again. He tried to stay as close as he could to the remaining two, but they were soon lost in the folds of battle.

Draco took down as many Death Eaters as he could, while still actively searching for Hermione.

When he finally found her, it was almost too late. She was laying at the far end of the third floor corridor, her small frame wracked with sobs.

Running to her side, he almost wished he didn't look. Her body was torn and mangled till she was on the brink of death; she would not make it out of this alive.

He grabbed hold of her blood-soaked hand, and swiped the matted hair out of her face. Draco did not want to move her - he didn't want to make her remaining time on the earth shorter. He watched as she choked out a mouth full of blood, trying to make her last words come out.

"Anapneo," said Draco, as he cleared her airways.

"Thank you," rattled Hermione. "T-tell them ... t-that I love them, please? Tell them that I-I'm sorry."

When the last word left her mouth, her eyes had dimmed. Hermione Granger was dead.

Draco closed her eyes with his fingertips, before carefully picking up her body. He would lay her by her friends. He stumbled through the halls as he carried her limp body; rigor mortis had not yet set in. She was not heavy like he thought she should be - she was still too thin from being on the run for the past year.

When he had arrived back in the transformed hall of the sick, he saw the Weasleys' mother battling his aunt. He wanted to shout with joy when Bellatrix was dead.

He laid Hermione's body down on a transfigured stretcher, before sitting down beside her.

He had lost his will to fight. He just wanted it to be over.

When Harry finally defeated Voldemort, and the cheers went up, Draco did not join in. He sat right by Hermione's body until her friends noticed.

"I was with her when she was saying her last words. She wanted you to know that she's sorry, that she loves you. She wasn't alone. I couldn't leave her like that."

"Thank you, Draco," sobbed Harry.

The Light side may have won ... but did they really?


End file.
